February 20,2013.Day 98. Srimad Valmiki Ramayan - The First Epic Poem Of India. (Continued)

Book I : Bala Kanda - Book Of Youthful Majesties 

Chapter [Sarga] 2 (Continued)

तस्य एवम् ब्रुवतः चिन्ता बभूव हृदि वीक्षतः |
शोकार्तेन अस्य शकुनेः किम् इदम् व्याहृतम् मया || १-२-१६

16. evam bruvataH = thus, having said; viikshataH = while pondering; tasya hR^idi = in his, heart; asya shakuneH = for that, bird; shoka aartena mayaa = in anguish, annoyed, by me; vyahR^itam = uttered utterance; idam = this [verse, sentence]; kim = what is it; [thus] chintaa babhuva = cogitative [of the lines,] he became.

On saying thus, and pondering for a while in his heart, 'annoyed by the anguish for that bird, what is it uttered by me...' thus he became cogitative of those lines uttered. [1-2-16]

चिन्तयन् स महाप्राज्ञः चकार मतिमान् मतिम् |
शिश्यम् च एव अब्रवीत् वाक्यम् इदम् स मुनिपुङ्गवः || १-२-१७

17. chintayan = on thinking; saH = he; mahaa praaj~naH = eminently, astute one; matimaan = intellectual sage; chakaara matim = made up, his mind; saH muni pu.ngavaH = he, saint, the erudite one; shishyam = to disciples; idam vaakyam abraviit cha eva = this, sentence, spoke, also, thus.

On thinking, he that eminently astute and intellectual sage made up his mind, and he that erudite scholar also spoke this sentence to his disciples, thus as... [1-2-17]

पाद बद्धः अक्षर समः तन्त्री लय समन्वितः |
शोकार्तस्य प्रवृत्तो मे श्लोको भवतु न अन्यथा || १-२-१८

18. me = while I was; shoka aartsya = by anguish, annoyed; pravR^ittaH = emerged; paada baddhaH = foot [of stanza,] arranged well; akshara samaH = letters, metrically posited; tantrii = [tuneful like] string [instrument]; laya = rhymed well [of syllables]; samanvitaH = having in it; slokaH bhavatu = verse, it shall be; na anyatha = not, otherwise.

"This utterance of mine has emerged out of anguished annoyance, and it is well- arranged with letters metrically posited, tuneful and rhythmical to be sung with string instrument, and hence, this shall be a verse, not otherwise..." [1-2-18]

This verse he uttered is in four quarters, each quarter with equally posited eight syllables. This is called anuSTubh metre in Sanskrit poetry. The eight syllables are, -- maa ni  Shaa da  pra  ti  ShTaa~N  tva | ma  ga ma  shaa  shva  tiiH  sa  maa  --  Each quarter is paada in Sanskrit, pede in Latin; with two quarters in first stanza, and two stanzas one verse. This apart there are other rules like caesura yati ; alliteration praasa ; and other compositional rules. It has come out of shokasorrow, so the format is named as sloka. And, shloka also means yashas, kiirti renown.